Where is Home?
by starlight100
Summary: Anna helps her younger sister flee from an arranged marriage by escaping to La Push and got more than she bargained for. JakeXOC, SethXOC
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Annalise Morret- Natural black hair, blue eyes, 5ft 7in, shy, selfless, loves her sister deeply. 20 years of age.**

**Carrine Morret- Natural black hair, blue eyes, 5ft 2in, carefree, outgoing, adorable. 15 years of age.**

**Please no flames. And I'm sorry if I offend anyone with this story. It wasn't my intention to do so.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter 1**

**Annalise's Pov**

My sister and I came from a prestige and strict family, my Dad was high up in the corporate world and my Mother was an angel in the ground so it was just us three. Since I was young enough to remember things, my Dad was never there for my sister and I. He loved his job more then his own daughters, he never spent a vacation with us or even had a decent meal with us so the only family Carrine and I have is each other. But I could never bring myself to hate that man, he gave us a home and food on our plate. It would be wrong to have such anger and hatred for people that do that for you, especially if their family.

That however, changed last week. He did something that I could never forgive him for and if he wasn't family then I would have slapped him. Carrine, my sweet little sister had her freedom taken away from her and was forced into an arranged marriage so that our father could merge his company with another company. We have never even met the man that Carrine was to marry, we don't know if he's ugly or a jerk except that he's 17 years of age. And that right there is the reason that I couldn't marry the guy, I was too old and Carrine was the right age but if I could then I would have taken her place. She shouldn't be forced to marry someone she doesn't love, my father never loved my mother and it led to my mother's death.

My father constantly cheated on my Mother and because she couldn't handle it, she chose death as an escape. I learned from her mistake and promised myself to never let Carrine or I be in that kind of situation but I failed and now Carrine is arranged to be married. When we first learned of it, she was distraught and she couldn't even speak, but me on the other hand. I blew up at our father...

_Flashback_

_"How could you!" I screamed at him. "How could you be so selfish?!"_

_"It's for the best. Our company will be more successful if we merge it with a larger one." He said calmly, clearly trying not to get angered._

_"Our company! No Dad! It's your company! Not ours! I can't believe you would sell your daughter just for money!" I shouted, rage was blinding me. "Your despicable!"_

_"Do not speak to me like that! I am you're father!" He remarked and grabbed hold of my wrist harshly. It was going to leave a bruise._

_"NO! You are not my father! I have no father!" I spat._

_Carrine whimpered from behind me. "Sister, stop. It's okay..."_

_I whipped around to look at her. "How could you say that! He's taking away your freedom."_

_She sobbed at my remark and ran out the room..._

_Flashback End._

I fought with my father for her freedom but he was persistent on it and there was nothing we could do, Carrine is still a child in the law's eyes so she has to obey our father. The only thing I could do for her now is to take her away from that place we called home for 3 weeks before she was to be married on her sixteenth birthday.

_Flashback_

_"Please let me take her on a vacation for a month. Three weeks only." I pleaded with him a few days later after our argument._

_"No. She is to be here and prepare for the wedding. She also needs to be taught of the duties of a wife so that she won't dishonor us." Father stated as he walked down the steps to his limo. He was going to his company again._

_I grabbed the sleeve of his arm. "Please Father. I will teach her what she needs to know! Please! I want her to have what little freedom she has before she's imprisoned in a loveless marriage!"_

_He stopped and contemplated for a moment. "Fine. But have her back here in time for the wedding or I will send people to find you. Don't think that you can escape me Anna. I'll always be able to find you."_

_"Yes Father. Thank you Father." I swallowed hard. He scared me with his promise of capture if I didn't follow orders and I knew full well that he would always know where I am._

_I ran back into the mansion and to Carrine's room where she sobbed silently. "Carrine?" I whispered as I sat next to her and embraced her._

_"Sister. What am I to do.?" She whimpered heartbrokenly._

_"Pack your bags. I'm going to take you to La Push." I smiled._

_"Really?" She said as her eyes widened._

_"Yep. It's only for 3 weeks though. I'm sorry I can't do more for you." I smiled sadly._

_She hugged me. "It's alright Sister. I know I can't escape. Let's just have as much fun as we can kay?"_

_"Yeah, but promise me you won't tell anyone of your arranged marriage, it's best if no one knows." I said._

_"I promise, it's not like it's anyone's business to know." She replied._

_End Flashback._

And here we are in the little town of La Push. We were born here in this small reservation, we weren't Quileute though but our ancestors were so we were permitted to live here. Our house was still here, we never sold it because of the memories it held, good memories. My father and mother got married here and had us, our childhood was happy as can be that is until father decided to be a businessman and moved us to the city. It felt amazing to be here again, the warmth of home was just amazing.

"Are you ready Anna?" Carrine asked as we slipped on our shoes.

We are going to the grocery store today to buy groceries. "Yeah. Let's go." I said as we headed out the door.

Then we climbed in my blue BMW and speeded off to the only grocery store in La Push, Sue Clearwater's store. I knew her as a small child, I knew most of the elderly people here and I was pretty sure they probably don't remember me. I parked my car in the lot and headed into the store with Carrine beside me. We pushed the cart down each aisle and picked up as many food as we could get to last us for the week at the very least. After that we went to the checkout line. Standing there is a very large, tall, dark, and handsome boy who looked to be my age. He stood behind the counter and his eyes were fixated on Carrine, he had a look of shock and surprise on his face, like it was the first time he had seen a girl or something.

"H-H-Hello." He stuttered, he eyes still on Carrine.

She smiled at him and blushed. "Hi. Can you check us out...I mean...check out the groceries?"

I smiled at the cuteness of it all, this was what I wanted Carrine to experience. The blossoming of a possible relationship. I stood back and let her interact with him, seeing as he metaphorically only sees her and not me. If I could right now, I'd laugh but I didn't want to ruin the moment for them. Darn, where's a camera when you need one?

"Uh sure." He stuttered again and began to check out the food. "What's your name?" He asked her.

"Carrine. What's yours?" She replied. Apparently she didn't see me either. Oh young love...

"Seth. Seth Clearwater." He smiled at her adoringly. It's definitely love at first sight.

I watched their conversation go on for about another five minutes before Seth had checked out every item and I had to interrupt them to pay for the food. I silently swiped my American express card and took my bagged items to the car while Carrine and Seth were in their own world. When the bags were in the car I got in the driver seat and waited for Carrine to come out. It took her about ten minutes before she got in the car with a huge smile on her face and a deep blush on her cheeks.

"Sooooo. What's with the smile?" I teased.

"Nothing." She blushed harder. as she fidgeted with a tiny piece of paper in her hands. "H-He gave me his number."

"Oh my! He likes you." I chuckled. "Are you going to call him?"

"No, I don't think so." She muttered as she slipped the paper in her jacket pocket.

"Honey, it's alright if you want to call him and go on a few dates. Think of it as a summer romance and experience as much as you can." I said as we sped down the road.

"But it will hurt when I have to leave. He will hurt and I will hurt. I don't want that Sis." She replied.

"It will hurt but in the end you won't leave with any regrets. Mom didn't get to fall in love and she regretted it every day of her life. She told me that and she told me to love as much as possible." I said, a tear brimming my eye.

"Maybe she's right. I think I'll do it. I'll call Seth tonight and ask him on a date." Carrine smiled cheerfully.

"It's your choice honey, I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want to. But I am going to force you to go see Billy. You remember him right?" I asked.

She giggled. "It wouldn't be force if I chose to go too. I remember Uncle Billy but not very clearly, I do remember that he loved us very much though." She smiled.

The car pulled up to Billy's house, it was a block away from mine and it looked the same way it use too, brown and old but with an added garage on the side. The memories of this house were still clear in my mind. We walked up to the door and knocked, there was a squeal of wheels before it opened to reveal the man I call my Uncle. He looked older but his features were still the same and he was still in his wheelchair, he will always be condemed to it.

"Hey Uncle Billy I missed you!" I gave a squeal of my own and leaned down to hug him and kiss him on the cheek.

"Awe. Save some for me too!" Carrine giggled and gave Billy a hug of her own.

"Anna? Carrine? Is it really you?" He whispered, his voice quivered. "It's been so long and both of you have grown up so beautifully."

"It's really us Uncle Billy. We missed you so much." I smiled at him sadly as he led us into his home.

"Gosh. I can still remember the day that you girls would cling to my legs and beg me to take you up the mountains to find wild animals to take home." He reminisced as we sat down on his couch.

"I don't remember that." I quirked. "I do remember making mud pies with Jacob and a girl named...Bella?"

"Ah yes I remember that day. Jacob was only two and you and Bella were four, Carrine you weren't even born then. It was the same day your family left the reservation." He said. "And then you came back with little Carrine hiding behind you. She was 5 and you were 10."

We left before Carrine was born and we came back to the reservation alone with mom's ashes when she died, Mom wanted to be buried here where she was born. We were only there for half a day before we left again, Dad didn't want us staying here at the time. He wasn't even there for Mom's burial, he was cold hearted. Carrine met Billy then and she bonded with him immediately and he loved her just as much as she loved him

"Yeah and she loved you the moment she met you. By the way why didn't I see Jacob then?" I puzzled. I thought we would have met seeing as he lived with Billy.

"He was over at Bella's house a lot at the time, the boy was head over heels for her but she paid him no mind though." Billy laughed.

"Where is he anyways? Does he still live with you?" I asked.

"Yeah he does but he's kind of...occupied at the moment. He could be back at any minute." Billy said as he looked at his wrist watch.

Carrine busted out laughing. "Tell me he's not still pining for this Bella girl?"

Billy chuckled. "No no. His hopes of marrying her went down the drain the day she started dating one of his close friends."

"Isn't that kind of insensitive of her? Doing that would be like rubbing dirt in Jacob's face. He must be really hurt." I said feeling bad for the boy.

"They didn't want it to happen that way. When Bella and Paul met it was like love at first sight and from that moment they were bounded to each other. Jacob knew that so now he's happy for the both of them." Billy explained. "But that was months ago so he's gotten over it."

"I guess that's the way the world works I suppose." I smiled. "Well we need to now, it's time for dinner already. I'll come by tomorrow and we'll talk more, is that alright?"

Billy beamed at me. "It is more than alright. But how long are you staying here in La Push?"

"Only three weeks. We're taking a mini vacation." Carrine smiled as we walked towards the door.

"Don't worry Uncle Billy, when we're gone we'll call you every day." I assured him and gave him a hug.

The door chose that moment to fly open and hit me in the arm. The door hit me with so much force that I stumbled back and Carrine had to grab a hold of me before I fell. The pain though was unbelievable, I had to squeeze my eyes shut and bite my lip to not scream or show any pain, but with that kind of pain I know it will leave a very nasty bruise.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter 2**

**Anna's POV**

"What the-" A rough voice sounded from behind me.

"Jake! Look what you did." Uncle Billy shouted as he pointed in my direction. "Apologize now!"

"Ah shit! I'm so sorry! I didn't know you were standing there." The man panicked.

I turned and was met with deep brown eyes and at that moment it felt like my world had turned upside down, I felt a pull to him and it was like love at first sight. I had to hold back a gasp from the many emotions that were swarming through me. And love was definitely one of them and even though it's supposedly illogical to fall in love at first sight, somehow this felt right like my soul was completed. The look on his face probably resembled mine; shock, surprise, hurt, and love.

"Anna? Sis? You okay?" Carrine said and broke me out of my trance.

I used my good hand to caress the bruising one. "Y-Yeah. I'm fine. Just a little bruise is all."

I looked back to the man named Jake and noticed that there was a group of men behind him. They looked similar to him, their all big, tall, dark, topless and incredibly handsome. But the man in front of me stood out more than them, his hair was in a spiky mess, his shoulder bore a tattoo, his chest was muscular and lean. All in all he was tall, dark, and handsome.

"Are you really alright? I opened the door quite hard." He said worriedly. He looked more hurt then I was and I'm the one that got hurt! "Let me go get you some ice."

I put my hand on his shoulder to stop him and felt a slight jolt from the contact. "Ah. No need. I need to go home." I said and turned to leave.

"W-Wait." He said holding my arm back. "Won't you stay and have a cup of water?"

"Jake. Let them go home. They will come back tomorrow. Isn't that right Anna?" Billy asked.

"Yes, I will like I promised Uncle Billy." I smiled.

I ducked through the mass of half naked men and out to my car but when I looked to my side I found that Carrine wasn't by my side. I looked back to see her in a conversation with Seth, I didn't even know he was here. They were locked in a gaze and Seth was immersed in Carrine. They looked so perfect together, it would be sad if they had to part in three weeks.

"Carrine. We have to go home and prepare dinner honey." I interrupted. I was in desperate need of a pain reliever and dinner. They can talk when Seth asks her on a date.

"Oh, sorry. Bye Seth, it was nice to meet you again." She smiled at him and jogged over to me.

We got into the car and pulled out of the driveway. "Did he finally ask you out?" I asked Carrine.

"Yeah. He wants to take a walk with me on the beach and go see a movie up in forks. Is that alright with you Sis?" She asked me.

"Of course! But remember to use protection." I chuckled.

She blushed and stammered. "It's our first date!"

"I'm just joking." I laughed.

I pulled into our garage a minute later and went inside the house with Carrine following behind me. We made dinner together, some simple pasta along with an aspirin for me then ate dinner before heading off to bed. Tomorrow will be another day and hopefully I'll be able to meet Jake again, something just pulls me to him. And tonight I know that I will be dreaming of him.

The next morning I awoke feeling fatigued, it felt like I had done a whole day's worth of chores, my limbs throbbed, pressure built up in my head, and my body ached with tiredness. It has happened before though, sometimes I find myself very tired and sleepy. But it must be jetlag or the painkillers.

I laid there in bed for a good five minutes before I clambered off it and went to my bathroom to wash up. I took a quick look in the mirror and noticed my bruise from yesterday has formed and it looked worst then I thought. The bruise ran up my arm, all purple and blue with a slightly green hue to it. It puzzled me though, my skin doesn't bruise easily and I've never gotten a bruise this large before. I stared at it a bit more before pulling a long sleeve shirt on and a pair of pants, and when I deemed myself appropriate I headed down the stairs to find Carrine putting on her shoes to leave.

"Where are you going?" I asked her.

"I have a date with Seth remember?" She stated as she slipped on her flats.

"Oh, I forgot. Sorry." I apologized as I ran a hand through my hair.

"Are you alright Sis? You don't look so good?" She asked with a worried expression.

"Yeah, I'm great!" I lied. "Just woke up on the wrong side of the bed today."

She nodded her head and placed a kiss on my cheek before bidding me good bye and leaving for her date. I hoped she would get the best experiences of her life so that she'll at least have some good memories in her life that she can hold on to. Love is something beautiful and she should be able to learn what it means to be in love and even though she'll have her heart broken in three weeks...well two weeks actually, I know that she won't have any regrets. Life was just so unfair for Carrine.

I sighed at the injustice of it all and grabbed my keys; I drove to Uncle Billy's house like I promised him I would. My time here is short so I don't want to waste a minute of it or I just really want to see Jake again or it could be both. Goodness, I feel like a teenage high school girl, I haven't seen the guy in 16 years and already I feel like I've known him all my life. I don't think my life couldn't get any weirder.

I pulled up into Billy's driveway and made my way to the doors of his house, I knocked on the door twice. A moment later a husky voice spoke behind it. "Coming!"

A second later the door flew open to reveal Jake standing there in all his glory and a pair of cut off jeans. "Hey Anna!" He said cheerily and moved to let me in.

"Hi. Is Uncle Billy home?" I asked as I followed him down the hallway to his living room.

Billy was sitting in front of his tv watching a football game. "Hey, Anna. You're here early?" He said as he turned his wheel chair to face me.

"Yeah, Carrine went on a date with Seth and I was bored so I thought I'd come over to keep you company." I smiled and sat down on his couch.

Jake sat down next to me, a little too close. "It was nice of you to come here to see Dad. It's been pretty lonely around here since Mom died."

"Son, give Anna some room, she's not going anywhere soon." Billy chuckled. "Jake's been like that since last night, he was so eager for you to come back."

Jake blushed and hissed at his Uncle Billy. "Dad! Stop embarrassing me!" I envied them, the bond between parent and child is something I've always wanted. I never got to experience it growing up like other kids did.

I sat there and watched them bicker for a moment before Jake turned his attention to me, we quickly fell into a comfortable conversation. We talked about anything and everything, but I steered away from my family life and the event that's about to take place in two weeks. It was a while later before I noticed that Billy wasn't in the living room with us and it was already dark outside.

"Oh Jake we lost track of time!" I gasped as I stood up.

Jake blushed under his dark tan. "Guess we did. It was just so easy talking with you."

"Yeah, it was easy talking with you too. Isn't it weird that we feel this way even though we haven't met in 16 years?" I giggled.

He cleared his throat a bit and mumbled. "Not really. But uh...would you like to hang out sometime?"

I blushed. "L-Like a date?"

"Yeah." He stammered adorably.

"I would love to go on a date with you." I whispered shyly. Age be darned. I don't give a care if he's younger than me.

"You kids finally done talking? It took you long enough." Billy interrupted as he wheeled himself into the living room.

I blushed. "Sorry Uncle Billy."

"I was just teasing you." He chuckled. "Will you stay for dinner Anna?"

"I don't want to impose." I replied. "And Carrine's probably at home, waiting for me to come back to make dinner."

"You can always invite her over for dinner with us and I can ask Seth to join us too." Jake said with a hint of hope in his voice.

I smiled. "Under one condition. You have to let me do the cooking, deal?"

Jake chuckled. "Deal. I'll go call Seth while you make dinner."

I walked into the kitchen and open the fridge, there was much in there so I searched the cupboards and noticed the same thing. It wasn't completely unexpected to see that seeing as only Jake and Uncle Billy lives here and I've never known Uncle to be the type of person that cooks. So I stood there for a moment to contemplate on what to make and a second later I chose to bake the whole chicken that was laying in the fridge and mash potatoes from the baby potatoes sitting in a basket under the sink, the serve some sweet corn from the can in the pantry. After that for desert I'll make my special chocolate chip cookies with almond slices sprinkled on top. It took me a total of 45 minutes to prepare everything and now all I have to do is wait for the chicken to be baked to perfection.

"Hey, how's the cooking coming?" Jake asked as he entered the kitchen.

I smiled at him. "All finish except for the chicken that will take a bit longer to cook."

"Uh do you mind if there are some extra dinner guests? My friends decided to invite themselves." He asked sheepishly.

"Not at all, the more the merrier but I think I'll have to make extras of everything." I stated and went to get the ingredients.

"Let me help you." He said.

I ordered him to mash the potatoes while I opened more cans of corn, I didn't know how many people were coming so I opened all the cans and had all the potatoes mashed. Then when everything was done, including the chicken that was baked to perfection, a bustle of people entered the kitchen, Carrine was one of them.

"Hey Sis. I heard you were making dinner so we came by." She smiled.

"Man I could smell the chicken from a mile away." One of the large men said, he seemed about 25 years of age with black hair and brown eyes.

One of the guys stepped forward, he looked older than the others. "Hi, I'm Sam and these guys here are Quil, Embry, Paul, Jared, and Seth who you already know."

"It's nice to meet you all. My name is Annalise but just call me Anna." I greeted them.

Seth chirped in. "Your food smells even better then Emily's cooking!"

I giggled. "Why thank you! It's not every day that I get to cook for so many people so I hope it will be up to everyone's standards."

"These guys will eat anything so don't worry." Jake said as we all sat down at the island, including Billy. He tore off a chicken leg and bit into it, a second later his eyes bulged out. "Oh my god this is good!"

The man Quil took a bite and moaned. "Oh gods Anna, please marry me."

Jake from beside me growled suddenly. I turned and looked him confusedly. "Is something wrong Jake?"

"It's nothing Anna. I was just joking Jake." Quil defended, he seemed to cower a bit.

They went back to eating and within seconds the chicken turned into carcass of bones and all the food was gone. These guys were like animals! They ate everything and they ate a lot of it, no wonder their so big and buff. After my initial shock I went to the oven and pulled out my tray of cookies and placed them on the table after the guys helped clear it. When they saw it their noses twitched and looked like they could be drooling, then all at once hands from all direction shot forward at the cookies and the next thing I knew the tray was empty.

"Oh my!" I gaped. I looked around and saw no cookie in sight, just a few crumbs. "Wow!"

Jake laughed from beside me and handed me a cookie. "Here I saved you one."

"Thanks." I said and took it. "You weren't kidding when you said they'd eat everything."

"Well, your cooking is really good and I don't think any of the guys are going to let you go far now." Seth joked.

"Damn Jake, where did you find a perfect girl like this." Embry smiled. "I gotta find one like her."

I blushed at his comment and looked over to see Jake blushing lightly under his tanned skin. After talking and getting to know everyone I found it to be very late already so I excused myself and Carrine so that we could go home. Jake looked a bit sad but didn't say anything then I looked back to the guys to see them with knowing looks in their eyes. It kind of scared me. I pushed it away and stood up to leave but a wave of dizziness hit like a ton of bricks and I fell backwards. Jake moved and caught me in his arms.

"Are you alright?" Jake and Carrine said in unison with the same worried looks plastered to their faces.

I flushed from the feeling of Jake's arms around me and stood up. "I'm alright; just a little dizzy is all. I must have stood up too fast."

"Are you sure Sis? You don't look so good." Carrine said worriedly.

"I'm fine, really. It must have been the heat from cooking." I assured them. "Let's go home Carrine, I think I'm in need of a nap."

She nodded and we bid our goodbyes then left. I backed the car onto the road and sped home, I didn't know why but I felt fatigued and dizzy, it happened before but not of this magnitude. I felt so tired that I went over the speed limit and made it home in 7 minutes. Then I kissed Carrine on the forehead and told her good night before going to bed. I just felt so tired that I needed to sleep, but my sleep was peaceful like I thought it would be. I rolled around and flailed around, then my nauseated feeling from before came back and I ran straight for the toilet and vomited my dinner out. When I was done I stood up to leave but a sweep of tiredness washed over me and I just laid my head on the tiled floor and doze off.

**AN: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please no flames!**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Please no flames. If you don't like this fanfic then please don't read it.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter 3**

**Anna's POV**

Morning came and I woke up feeling a little better then I did yesterday so I rose from the floor and did my morning routine before going downstairs to prepare breakfast for Carrine. I made my special pancakes with scrambled eggs on the side with hash browns. I also decided to bake my famous marionberry pie and muffins to give to Uncle Billy and Jake later. Jake...he's so amazing, the thought of him made my stomach do flips. We've only met for two days and already I'm feeling like a lovesick high school girl. Maybe this is a start to every relationship.

My pastries were finished baking within two hours and at the same time, Carrine made herself known as she skipped down the stairs. "Morning Sis!" She said cheerfully.

"Morning. Someone's happy today." I smiled as I set a dish of food on the counter in front of her.

She blushed. "Seth asked me out on a date again."

"That's great! Have fun okay and remember you still have a curfew." I reminded her.

"I know. We're going to see a movie and maybe hangout. Gosh what should I wear?" She asked worriedly as she ran up the stairs and completely forgetting about breakfast. This was how things should be. Carrine should be going on dates and worrying over how she should look on a date, instead of worrying about a loveless wedding. She should have been worrying about teenage things like she was now and I'm glad I could give her this experience.

I sighed and moved to take Carrine's forgotten breakfast to be thrown away. At the same time the phone rang and I hurriedly ran to it and answered. "Hello?" I said into it.

"Hey Anna its Jake! I got your number from my Dad and I was wondering...if...you...would...um...well..." He stammered nervously. I thought it was just too cute.

"Yes Jake?" I asked, a smile spreading across my lips.

"Do...do you...do you want to hang out later?" He asked hurriedly.

I giggled. "Sure. I would love to."

"Really?!" He asked happily, I could feel it through the phone if that was even possible. "Then can you meet me at my place?"

"When should I come over?" I asked nervously. This would be the first time I've ever dated anyone.

"Um, is now too soon?" He inquired in his velvety smooth voice.

"Sure. I'll be right over." I smiled.

"Great! See you soon!" He replied.

"Yeah. Bye." I said and hung up.

"So does someone have a date?" Carrine asked from behind me.

I jumped up in shock. "Carrine! You scared me! When did you get here?" I asked.

"Just now. So do you have a date today with a certain someone?" She giggled. She was dressed in a super cute simple dress that ended at her knees and a pair of flats.

"As a matter of fact, yes. I'm going to change and go. Do you need me to drop you off at Seth's house?" I asked.

"Yes please." She smiled.

"Alright. Give me a second to change." I said quickly and ran up the stairs.

I ran straight into my closet and maneuvered my way around it until I found the perfect outfit for myself. It was just a simple styled shirt with a pair of dark skinny jeans and ankle boots. When I was done getting dressed I went over to my vanity and put on a little make up to accent my eyes and some lip gloss. I wanted to look good in front of Jake and to make a good impression. I didn't want to look disgusting like I usually did before when I didn't care about how I looked. After I was done, I ran back downstairs and placed my marionberry muffins and pie onto two plates and wrapped them with plastic wrap before placing them in the backseat of my car.

"Someone's in a hurry." Carrine stated with humor present in her tone of voice.

"Keep teasing me and I'll leave you behind." I joked and got into my car.

"Okay okay." She laughed and got in with me. "You look great by the way. I've never seen you so dressed up before."

"Thanks. I just wanted to make a good impression." I whispered.

"Trust me when I say that you will." She giggled.

I laughed with her and dropped her off in front of the Clearwater's house where Seth was waiting for her on the front steps of his house. When he saw her, he jumped up and ran to her like a puppy and pulled her into an embrace. It was such a sweet scene. I drove away after seeing that and to Jake's house. It took me almost two minutes before I pulled up in front of his house and parked my car. I got out and grabbed my pastries with me before walking up the steps of the house. When I got to the door, I knocked lightly on it.

A few seconds later, Uncle Billy opened the door and smiled when he saw me. "Morning Anna. Come on in." He said.

"Hi Uncle Billy. I brought you and Jake some marionberry muffins and pie." I smiled and showed them to him.

"Thanks Anna. I can never refuse your cooking. I don't think anyone can!" He laughed. "Jake's in his garage out back if you want to see him."

"Alright. I'll go bring him a muffin." I offered and took a muffin into my hand.

"Better bring two. He's a big eater." Uncle smiled and wheeled himself away.

It was pretty much true about what he said so I took two muffins into my hands and walked out the front door of the house and rounded out back to the medium sized garage that was sitting behind the house. The doors were opened wide and I could see a rusty looking car inside with Jake under it with only his legs hanging out the side. I quietly walked inside and crouched down.

"Hi Jake. What are you doing under there?" I greeted him.

Suddenly I heard a loud 'thunk' and him blurting out. "Shit!"

"Oh God! Are you okay?! Are you hurt?" I called out as he pushed himself out from under the car. He was wearing only a pair of cut off jeans was the first thing I noticed.

"I'm fine. I didn't expect you to be here so quick." He chuckled as he brushed the soot from himself. He was covered in it, especially his face.

I blushed. "Sorry. Um I brought you some marionberry muffins that I made myself." I said and held them out to him.

He looked down at his hands which were all dirty then back up at the muffins then back to his hands again before a sad expression came to his face. "I think I'll have to eat it later."

I giggled. He was just too darn cute. "Here." I said and placed one muffin down before breaking the other one in my hand into small pieces and hold them up to his lips.

He beamed and opened his mouth wide and biting down on them. After swallowing, his eyes lit up. "These are delicious! I've never tasted anything so good before!" He exaggerated.

I blushed a deeper red. "Ah. It's not that good. Anyone can make it."

"But you make it the best." He smiled and ate the rest of the muffin I fed him.

"So, are you fixing up this car?" I asked as I looked at the it.

"No. I'm building it. It's a rabbit and my baby. I was trying to finish it so that I could take you out in it later." He said shyly.

"Oh, I guess I did come too early then. Um, how about you finish it and I'll just sit and wait." I suggested as I looked around for a place to sit.

"That would be great. You can sit in the rabbit while I finish up. It'll only take a minute." He promised and ran around to the front of the car to open its hood and popped his head under it.

I carefully walked over to his car so that I wouldn't step on anything and opened its door and sat down on its cushioned seat. "This is a really nice car Jake." I commented. It really is.

"Nah. It's not as good as your BMW." He replied.

"I think it is. Besides, I think it's more special if it's something you made, it's more meaningful." I reasoned.

"That's right! And even though it doesn't look like much on the outside. It's perfection on the inside. Like me!" He joked.

"I think you're perfect on the outside and inside." I whispered, it was pretty low so I don't think he heard it.

"Why thank you. I think your perfection itself." He whispered back. I could hear the shyness and embarrassment in his voice.

I gasped and blushed. "You heard that?"

"I have pretty good hearing." He chuckled and continued working.

We chatted and joked while he worked on his car and completely lost track of time. I was just so engrossed in his voice and conversation that I forgot everything around me. I don't think I've ever met a guy like him before. And by the time I realized that it was already dark outside and the moon was about to rise. At the same time Jake had put the hood of the car down and stood back to admire his masterpiece. After that he noticed the time and cursed quietly under his lips and turned to me.

"It's alright Jake. I loved hanging out with you like we did. I had a lot of fun. I hope we can do this again." I blushed and stared down at my hands.

"I-I had fun too." He said, his face was red with embarrassment as he scratched the back of his head with his hand.

Before anything else could be said Quil's and Embry's voice could be heard close by. "Hey Jake!" Embry shouted as he entered the garage. "Oh hey Anna!" He smiled when he saw me.

"Hi Anna." Quil said shyly to me and then punched Jake on the arm casually.

"So what were you two love birds doing here all alone together?" Embry asked, emphasizing the word 'together'.

"Nothing at all." Jake said calmly as he glared at his friends. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We smelled something really good." Quil said as he looked around until his eyes on the muffin I had placed on a tool box. "Is that what I think it is?"

"Oh man. Can I have that?" Embry asked as he eyed it too.

"No it's mine!" Quil called out and dived for it.

Embry dived in after him and the both of them began fighting over it. Quil punched him in the stomach and had him in a choke hold with a blink of an eye. Then suddenly Embry had elbowed him in the stomach and reversed their position so that he had Quil in a choke hold. It was amazing how they had such dexterity and ease. It was like they had a lot of experience in fighting. I couldn't tear my eyes away from them.

"Anna let's run for it!" Jake whispered into my ear just then and grabbed a hold of my hand before pulling me gently outside.

I smiled and ran with him down the road until we reached the first beach where no one was insight. And soon our jog turned into a slow walk against the tide of the ocean. "It's so beautiful." I whispered as I stared out at the sea where the moon and the stars had reflected against it. The scene was so magical.

"Not as beautiful as you." Jake whispered.

I turned to him and saw that he was staring only at me. I blushed. "Thank you. You are quite handsome yourself but I'm sure a lot of girls tell you that. Um Jake? Don't you feel cold without a shirt on?"

"No, I'm use to it. But yeah, I hear it a lot, but when you say it, it feels more special." He smiled breathtakingly.

We walked some more before we saw a dead log laying on its side so we sat down on it and stared out at the sea in silence. It was a comfortable silence. I leaned my head on to his shoulder with my hand still grasped tightly on his. After a while I spoke up. "My mother and I use to do this before she died. She loved to watch the stars and point out the constellations." I whispered.

"My mother died before I was born so I don't remember much about her." He stated. "But I still have Dad though so I'm happy."

"I'm sorry for bring up sad memories. I couldn't help it." I said apologetically. "And Uncle Billy is a great man. You are lucky to have him as a father."

"It's alright. I'm not that sad. I didn't really know her. And you're right. I really am lucky to have Dad." He smiled. "You're lucky you have your Dad too."

"Not really." I whispered.

"Why's that?" He asked confusedly.

"My father never really cared about me or Carrine or my mother. All he cares about is his precious company. I don't think he's ever loved me like I was his daughter." I explained as I stared up at the moon.

"Maybe he has his reasons for doing so." He replied.

"His only reason is money and that's all it will ever be." I sighed.

"Well, you'll always have me." He whispered. "I'll always protect you Anna and I'll always be here for you. Forever."

I pushed myself away from him to look at him. He was serious; there was no lie or hesitation in his expression. I couldn't help but smile a bit. And before I could comprehend anything, my head had inched forward towards his. He met me halfway and swooped down to place his lips on mine. The moment we connected, I felt sparks fly and a tingling sensation spread down my spine. I wrapped my arm around his neck and he placed his arms around my waist and pulled me closer to him. Our lips molded together and moved completely in sync with one another. It was amazing.

The sensation increased when he used his tongue to part my lips and slip it into my mouth and soon we were exploring the other's mouths. Jake tasted so delicious like the marionberry muffin he had eaten previously and I couldn't get enough of him. I felt like I could drown in his taste alone. He was absolutely wonderful and the way he maneuvered his lips so expertly caused my heart to beat faster.I didn't know how long we stayed like that for but we broke apart later, gasping for air.

"Was it a little too soon to do that?" I whispered. Normally people don't kiss like this on the first date.

"No. It's never too soon." He smiled and dipped his head down to capture my lips once more.

**AN: So what do you think? No flames please.**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: If you are offended by or do not like stories that pertain to illnesses such as cancer then please stop reading now. I do not wish to cause any trouble. For those who would like to continue; please enjoy. Thank you.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter 4:**

**Anna's POV**

A week went by since the date on the beach and everyday since then, Jake and I had been inseparable. Everyday he would surprise me with flowers and kisses and each day we would go on dates to different places. We've gone to the movies, to many restaurants, but the best part of the dates were when we cuddled together as we sat on our driftwood to watch the sunset after every date. I felt warm and safe, but more than that, I felt loved. Jake was just so amazing and wonderful. He was always happy and relaxed which always makes me smile when I see him. I've never experienced this feeling before, it was so foreign to me and yet it felt familiar like it was a normal thing to feel.

"What are you making beautiful?" Jake whispered into my ear as he wrapped his arm around my waist.

"Hey you, how did you get into my house?" I giggled as I turned around to place a kiss on his lips.

"Carrine let me in when she left to find Seth." He replied.

"I see. So did you come here for breakfast or for me?" I smiled.

"Both. I missed you." He said and nuzzled his nose into my hair.

"Jake, I'm curious. You're only eighteen and yet you act like your twenty-five and you look twenty-five too. Not to mention you're hot skin and the sudden disappearances. Are you hiding something from me?" I asked curiously.

He sighed. "When you come to the bonfire in a few days, you'll know everything okay? I promise."

"Alright I'll wait." I said softly and turned back to my crepes that I was making. "So what are we doing today?"

"Well, I was thinking of a picnic, alone, with just us and nature." He said huskily.

I almost melted with every word he spoke. "O-Okay." I stammered.

He chuckled. "Then go get ready. Wear something comfortable."

I nodded and jogged up the stairs to my room. I dug through my mountain of clothes and dressed myself in a pair of jeans, a lavender colored shirt and tennis shoes for comfort, as well as a thick jacket. When I was done I sat down at my vanity and added some makeup to my face. My skin had looked terrible lately and I don't know why so I had to put on thick layers of concealer before going outside. I suppose it was the vast change in weather. When I was done, I went back downstairs, but this time I walked because I suddenly felt tired.

Jake was standing by the door as he waited for me. "I'm ready. Um, do we need any food?" I asked. He shook his head and gently pushed me out the house.

We got into his rabbit and he drove down the road. He drove pretty far into the forest before stopping by the side of the road. "We are here." He smiled.

"Are we hiking?" I inquired. He nodded his head and smiled.

I took a sharp intake of air. I didn't feel well enough to hike today. Recently I've been feeling fatigued but that could be because of jet lag. "Don't worry Anna. I'm going to carry you." Jake smiled and swept me up into his arms.

"I'm pretty heavy, you should let me down. I can walk." I suggested.

"No, your light as a feather." He chuckled. "But you might want to hide your eyes in my shoulder, I'm going to go pretty fast."

I nodded and obeyed him. I placed my face in the crook of his neck and inhaled his scent of pine and wood as he ran. And before I knew it I felt a gust of wind and then suddenly it stopped so I lifted my head from his shoulder and gasped when I saw a beautiful meadow with lavender and wild flowers all around. At the center was a picnic blanket with a picnic basket on top of it. "This place is beautiful Jake. How did you find this place?" I asked as he set me down on the blanket.

"I usually wander around the forest when I'm bored and I stumbled here to this place by accident and it has been my secret place ever since." He smiled and opened the basket to pull out a Chinese take out bag. "Sorry, I can't cook. Do you mind eating Chinese?"

"No. I love it." I giggled and helped him prepare the food for each of us.

The food smelled delicious and looked delectable but some how I didn't feel at all hungry. "Is something wrong Anna? Are you not hungry?" Jake asked me.

"No, it looks delicious." I gave a small smile and brought the rice up to my lips.

When it touched my tongue, my gag reflexes triggered and I instantly felt like vomiting. It caused me to drop my dish of food as I bent over and began heaving all of my previous meal out but I didn't have any breakfast or dinner so nothing came out. Jake panicked and wrapped his arm around my shoulders to try to comfort me. And after a while I was able to stop and lean into Jake's arms.

"Anna. What's wrong? What happened?" He asked me worriedly.

"I-I don't know but lately I haven't been feeling so well. I think I'm coming up with the flu or something." I whispered.

"Then why didn't you tell me?! I shouldn't have brought you out here. I should have let you stay at home to rest." He berated himself.

"I'm fine Jake. Really. I'm just a bit tired." I lied. "I really wanted to spend time with you today."

"We can spend time together when you get better." He replied and swept me into his arms again. "I'm going to bring you home so that you can rest."

I frowned. "But I don't want to be away from you."

"No ifs, ands, or buts. You are going to rest and get better." He reprimanded me like a child but on his lips was a small smile.

I laughed lightly and leaned back into his arms and closed my eyes. Soon, the soothing sound of his heart and the warmth of his skin had lulled me to sleep. It felt like five minutes had gone by before I woke again, I noticed that I was laying on my bed and Jake was nowhere in sight. I moved to sit up but groaned when I felt a wave of fatigue hit me like a ton of bricks but I used all my strength to push myself off the bed to go into the bathroom. When I got there I stared at myself in the mirror for a while so that I could figure out whose reflection it was in the mirror, the woman looked frail, pale, tired, fatigued, and sickly.

It took a moment for me to realize that she was me and I felt panick wash through me. I looked healthy just weeks ago and now I looked ill, something felt wrong and it made my stomach drop. I swallowed hard and washed my face and teeth before going to my vanity. I used the concealer and foundation I had placed in the top drawer to hide my pale sickly skin and black bags that had formed under my eyes, when I was done I looked healthy again...well...as healthy as I could look.

After that I dressed myself in jeans and long sleeve shirt to hide my skin and the huge bruise that had not disappeared yet. When I deemed myself ready I made my way downstairs to see Carrine making breakfast, her back was turned to me but on the table was a dish of pancakes, sausages, and an egg over easy.

"Morning honey." I smiled.

"Morning Sis, your breakfast is on the table." She said cheerily, she looked perky today. "Um can I go on a date with Seth today?"

"Of course you can. You know you don't have to ask me to go on dates right? Just let me know when you're leaving and coming home." I said. She squealed and hugged me before running up the stairs, probably to get ready for her date.

I swallowed a piece of sausage and not before long it came back up my throat, I pushed the chair back and ran for the guest bathroom under the stairs. I vomited again and all that came out was the piece of sausage and bile, I already barfed up last night's dinner. When I was done I went back to the kitchen and secretly threw away my leftover breakfast, I couldn't eat it because I couldn't keep it down.

"Sis? What are you doing?" Carrine asked from behind me.

I whipped around. "Uh nothing, nothing at all." I said as I held the plate behind my back.

"Then why are you throwing away your food?" She asked me, hurt present on her face. "Was it that bad?"

"No, no honey." I said softly and placed the dish on the counter.

"Then why aren't you eating?" She persisted. "What are you hiding from me?"

"I-I ate a bite but I couldn't keep it down." I admitted. "But I'm alright really."

"Anna let me take you to the hospital for a check up. I'm worried about you. You haven't been yourself lately." She said sadly. "Please?"

I sighed. "Sure. But it's probably nothing." Carrine grabbed the keys and we went to the garage. Carrine, even though she doesn't have a license, knows how to drive. I taught here when she turned fourteen because she begged me and I thought that she could handle it and she did. She drove down to forks and pulled into the hospital parking lot. I gulped nervously, I never really liked hospitals much.

We walked into the hospital and signed in, then sat in the waiting area to wait for my turn. About half an hour later my name was called out to a nurse. "Annalise Morrett?"

I raised my hand and turned to Carrine. "Wait for me here okay?" I asked her.

She nodded and I followed the nurse into the patient's room, she took my temperature then other necessary tests before the doctor came in. "Hello Annalise, I'm Dr. Walker." She said. "So what seems to be the matter?"

I shook her hand and replied nervously. "Anna is fine. Um, lately I've been feeling fatigued, dizzy, nauseous, and I've been vomiting too. I couldn't keep breakfast down this morning."

"Anna, you seem to have a slight fever, but um, do you think you could be pregnant?" She asked as she looked at my file.

"No, I'm still a virgin." I said as I fidgeted with my fingers. I've only known Jake for a week so it was too soon for sex.

"I see. Are you wearing make up?" She asked. I nodded. "Alright then, I'm going to have a blood test ordered. A nurse will come in right now to draw some blood and then it will be tested immediately, it will take only 20 minutes before we'll find out the results and during that time can you remove your make up and shirt? I would like to check your skin for any abnormalities. Is that alright?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

Dr. Walker left and a nurse came in, she drew two vile of blood. "The sink is over there, you can remove it there." She said and then left the room.

I got off the bed and washed my face, then removed my shirt but left the bra on. A moment later Dr. Walker came back, she put on a pair of latex gloves and walked over to me, then she inspected my skin and noticed a bruise. "Do you bruise easily Anna?" She asked.

"No I don't. This is the first time I've ever gotten a bruise this bad." I told her truthfully.

She didn't reply but just nodded her head and kept inspecting until she stopped a minute later. "Well Anna, I have an inkling about what is happening with your body but I would like to see the blood results first before letting you know to prove my theory. So why don't you put your shirt back on and re-apply your make up if you'd like, then you can go back to the waiting room and I'll call you when the results come. Is that alright?"

"Yeah it is." I replied and pulled my shirt over my head.

"Okay, then sit in the waiting room just outside this room. It's for patients waiting to meet the doctor again." She said and left.

I went over to the small mirror in the room and took out my bag of make-up, I had it with me for when I needed to re-touch my concealer or foundation. When I finished re-applying them I took my bag and left the room. I sat down in a cushioned chair and read a magazine while I waited. It was about another 20 minutes before Dr. Walker came back. She told me to follow her to her office.

Her office was like any other doctor's office; white with multiple diplomas hanging on the wall, as well as a table and chairs with stacks of papers and a computer on her table. I sat down in the chair in front of her desk as she sat down behind it. She opened my file and looked at me, her eyes unlike before were sad and filled with sympathy. I knew at that moment that my results weren't good, I swallowed hard and my hands began to sweat.

"Anna...I'm so sorry." She whispered.

I stammered nervously. "What is it?"

"Anna your results came back and you tested positive for...leukemia." She spoke softly.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: I'm sorry that the story is taking a bad turn right now but it will be a happy ending so don't worry. And I'm sorry if what I'm writing about is a sensitive subject for you. Please don't read anymore if it upsets you too much. Also there are a few facts and information about leukemia that I made up so that it would flow better with my story so please don't believe they are true. Other than that, please enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

**Chapter 5**

**Anna's POV**

The world came crashing down around me. I have cancer, blood cancer to be exact. I was dying slowly and there was no cure for it. The tears flowed down my face, washing away the makeup but I didn't care, I just sat there and sobbed. I was only twenty years old, my life haven't even started yet and already it's about to end. And Carrine, what will happen to her if I'm not there for her? She'll be all alone in this world and I promised that I would always be there for her. There was Jake too. Our relationship has only begun and now I won't be able to see our future together.

When I was able to control myself I asked Dr. Walker. "How long do I have before I die?"

"You have Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia, it's a cancer of the white blood cells and it comes in stages. The first few stages are treatable but the treatment won't have any effect on the last stages. You Anna are at the final stage of CML. Your blood tests estimate that you have less than a month left." She said. "I'm sorry. Do you have any family to be here for you?"

"Y-Yeah. My sister, but please don't let her know. I-I don't want her to worry." I said, wiping away stray tears. "B-But why didn't feel the symptoms of CML when I was in my first stages?"

"It's different for everyone; you might have already experienced them but didn't acknowledge them. A lot of people misjudge their health so it's perfectly normal." She assured me. "And as for the symptoms you are experiencing right now, I can prescribe some medicine to relieve them temporarily. I'm sorry that it's all I can do for you."

"It's alright and thank you for the medicine." I said on the verge of tears. "But don't send any mail or call my home phone about this, I don't want my sister or anyone to find out."

"I won't, its patient privacy so I can't really tell anyone." She assured me. "And again I'm really sorry."

I nodded my head and took the paper with the results on it and slipped it into my bag and wiped away the tears then re-touched my make up before leaving the room. When I reached the entrance to the main waiting room, I forced myself to calm down and smile then I walked through it to meet up with Carrine half way.

"So how was it?" She asked me as we walked out the hospital.

"It's just jetlag making my life miserable." I joked. "It will go away later but the doctor did prescribe some meds to relieve it so I'll be alright."

She sighed in relief. "That's good, for a moment there I was worried."

I smiled sadly for a second and stopped her when we reached the car. "Wha-?" Carrine said as I pulled her into a tight embrace.

"I just want to hug you for a second. Always know that I love you kay Carrine?" I whispered. Even when I'm gone I'll still love you...

"I know and I love you too Sis." She smiled and we pulled apart.

"Hey, let me drive you to Seth's, you guys have a date don't you?" I asked.

"Yep. Almost forgot there." She giggled and gave me the car keys.

I laughed and got in the car; I dropped her off at Seth's quickly and drove to the beach. When I got there I sat down on a rotting log and pulled out the result paper to look at again, the word 'positive' was typed in bold at the bottom corner. A tear slipped from my eye and splattered on the thin sheet, another tear followed after it. Soon my lips parted and my eyes squeezed shut as a silent scream erupted from my throat, at the same time, my hands fisted both sides of the paper. I sobbed silently, I cried until there were no tears left to shed.

It was unfair, life was unfair and I hated it. All I wanted was to live to protect my sister and see her grow up to be a beautiful woman...but that can't happen anymore. I'm terminal, I have less than a month to live, heck I could probably fall asleep right now and not wake up at all. And Carrine will be alone in this world, well, she has Seth but for how much longer? She clearly loves him and he loved her back just as much, they were perfect for each other. Her life should be right here in La Push with the people that love her and I'll make sure of that. Wedding be damned! The wheels in my head started forming a plan to help Carrine stay here, I will do everything in my power to help her before I die, and it was my only wish now.

"Anna?" Jake's voice came from a distance. I turned to see him jogging towards me.

I quickly shoved the paper back in my bag and wiped away my tears. "Hey Jake." I smiled when he sat down next to me.

"What's wrong? Were you crying?" He asked worriedly as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

"No, nothing's wrong at all. I just got sand in my eye so it got a bit irritated." I lied. He didn't need to know of my condition. No one did, it's my problem to take care of.

"I see," He said, not really believing me. "By the way why are you here?"

"I just need some time alone to think. It's nothing really but how did you know I was here?" I asked

"I kind of felt that you were here. It's kinda hard to explain but it's the truth." He said sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head.

"Okay..." I said not really believing him. "So why were you looking for me?"

"No reason, I just wanted to talk about our next date. I was thinking that we could go tomorrow and we can go eat dinner or have a picnic, or take a walk, or anything you would like to do." He smiled brightly.

I completely forgot about the date and it made it even harder to distance myself from him. It was best to do that so that he wouldn't have to worry about me or be hurt if I suddenly disappeared and I didn't want to be a bother to anyone. And now with him so happy, it made it harder to refuse him. It would be like kicking a wounded dog and no one would do that but in my situation I had to and I hope that one day he will forgive me for it. I sighed mentally and looked down, my eyes widening. Somehow in the midst of my thoughts, my hand had entwined itself into Jacob's and settled onto his thigh.

I pulled my hand away and stared at his chest or at anything so that I wouldn't have to look at his face. "I-I'm sorry...but I don't think we should date anymore." It broke my heart to have to say that.

"Why? You were so happy. Did something happen, Anna?" He said. His voice was filled with hurt. It tore at my heart.

My voice quivered. "I'm sorry Jake but I'm really busy and I'm leaving in a week and a half so it would be best if we didn't continue what we had. It would only be harder on the both of us."

"But we were so happy..." He said heartbrokenly. "I hoped that you would change your mind and stay here in La Push with me."

I swallowed hard to try and not cry but was failing so stood up and turned my back to him. "I wish I could but it's impossible. Our worlds are just too different. I'm really sorry Jake; I'll try my best to not bother you anymore." I said calmly as the tears fell from my eyes then began walking away.

"Wait!" Jake said. I stopped but didn't turn around; I couldn't bear to look at him. "At least come to the bonfire that's happening next week, everyone's coming. Even Carrine is coming so at least come for her."

"I'll think about it." I said before running to my car.

I drove home and locked myself in my room and cried. Another date with Jake sounded so amazing when he suggested all the places we would've gone to. I wished so badly I could've said yes and went with him. It wouldn't have really mattered where we went as long as I could be there next to him and hold his hand. Those big warm hands of his even though were calloused made me feel protected and safe when they held onto my small ones. But I won't ever be able to hold his hands anymore or even look at him. I won't even be able to kiss him again. That thought made me cry harder and the thought of dying alone without anyone knowing was painful.

It was a while later when I got up and went to sit at my vanity, I pulled the middle drawer where my stomach was open and took out the journal I had stored there and opened it to where I had bookmarked the page with a pen. I had written in many journals throughout my life and this one was a new one I got a year ago, it was a way for me to escape from my miserable life even if it was only for a short moment. And since the day I came here I've written about Jake and Uncle Billy, and about my days. It was the best memories out of everything I've ever written in any of my journals but today I'm going to write about the worst days of my short life.

After writing it, I turned to a new page and began writing my will and my goodbyes to Carrine. She was the best thing that has ever happened to me and I was blessed to have her as my sister. In the midst of writing a few tears escaped from my eyes and splattered onto the pages, smearing the words a little. Then suddenly I heard the front door slam shut, Carrine must be home so closed the book and placed it back in the drawer then I grabbed my purse and took out the result paper and threw it in the drawer with my journal.

"Sis? Are you in here?" She asked as she peeked through my door.

I wiped away the tears quickly and turned to smile at her. "Hey, you're home early? Did something happen?"

"Anna it's 10 pm, if I was out any later then it would be past my curfew. Are you sure you're alright Sis?" She asked as she sat down on my bed.

"I must have lost track of time." I said like nothing happened. "So what happened on your date?"

"Seth was so sweet. He took me on a walk in the park and then he took me to dinner at a restaurant up in Port Angeles called Bella Italia and after that we went to the beach to look at the stars." She gushed. "He was so amazing Anna and I love him so much."

"That's good. Does he love you back?" I asked her as I sat down next to her.

"Yeah, he told me he loved me all day long, we only met a few days ago but it felt like we've known each other forever. Oh Anna I've never been so happy in my entire life." She squealed but soon her shoulders drooped. "But we're leaving in 2 weeks and I'm going to have to break up with him."

"Don't worry about it okay honey? Just love him as much as you want and don't have any regrets. And forget about what's about to happen in two weeks, it's not important kay? Not important at all." I assured her and pulled her into a hug. "Live life to the fullest honey."

"I will. Thank you for being here Sis." She smiled and hugged me back. "Anyways there's a bonfire next week and Seth invited me. I heard that Jake wanted to invite you too."

"Yeah he asked me today and I said I'd think about it." I replied as I pulled away from her.

"Please come Sis, everyone wants you to be there and it's going to be so much fun too. Please Anna? And are you and Jake dating? You're not going to leave your boyfriend all alone will you?" She pleaded and gave me her famous puppy eye look.

I caved. "Okay okay. I'll come. It's late now so why don't you go to bed."

"Kay, night Sis." She smiled and hugged me goodnight.

"Night and remember, I'll always love you no matter what happens." I whispered into her ear before letting go.

She skipped out of the room and I changed into my night gown before falling into bed and into a peaceful dream. A dream where Jake was the groom and I was the bride, we were saying our vows and I Do's by the beach. It was a small wedding and with everyone we know from the reservation and Uncle Billy was performing the ceremony. It was so beautiful and so real, that is until I woke up to an empty room and a realization that it was an illusion of my mind. And the fact that dreams don't come true no matter how much you want them to.

For the next week I had avoided contact with everyone to the best of my ability including Carrine but only talking with her if I had to. It was for the best. The less time Carrine is with me the easier it will be on her when I'm gone and with time she'll forget that I even existed. Everyone will so it would be best if I fall off the face of the planet silently.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter 6**

**Anna's POV**

And just like that a week has come and gone, Jake called me a few times but I didn't answer and I wasn't home a lot because I was afraid that he would come to find me. Every morning I would drive my car out to the cliff near the beach and sit there to think and if I wasn't there then I would be driving around Forks or Port Angeles or anything to now come in contact with the people in La Push. It was hard and very lonely but what choice did I have? Death is the hardest thing to cope with and no one needed to experience loss and grief. And my body is slowly dying, I've noticed that my energy level isn't like it use to be and I feel like my body is deteriorating quickly. I think I don't have much time left; it's already time for me to go.

However, today is Sunday the night of the bonfire and I promised Carrine that I would come. I've decided to stay there for a bit; eat, maybe talk a little, and then leave as soon as possible before I get in to deep and regret my decision from the last week. So, I quickly dressed in a pair of jeans, long sleeve shirt, and jacket with my sneakers to keep my feet warm. Then I did my make up and went downstairs to meet up with Carrine. She was dressed warmly like me.

"Ready to go?" I forced a smile at her. I couldn't let her suspect that there was something wrong.

"Yeah, let's go. We're meeting them on first beach." She said as we got into my car. "Um Anna? Seth called me last night and told me about what happened between you and Jake. And he's really hurt."

"I tried to let him down as gentle as possible." I replied.

"But he really loves you and I know you love him too. Why are you pushing him away?" She asked.

"I don't love him okay? I can't date someone I don't love. End of conversation." I lied, my hands gripping tightly on the steering wheel.

When the car came to a stop Carrine shot out of it and jogged down the sand path to the group of people that were sitting around a campfire on rotting wood logs. She immediately hugged Seth when he saw her and then sat down next to him and sitting next to him was Jake. He looked very sad and depressed, and I knew that it was my fault. I felt my heart squeeze painfully again, it's been happening for a while now, I think it's just a symptom of CML. I sighed then climbed out of my car and made my way down the sandy path. When I neared everyone turned and glared at me, well not Uncle Billy, Jake, and Carrine because they didn't look at me. But the others were and their eyes were full of hatred and distain. I recognized the men in the group but not the women that I've never met before and they too were glaring at me.

I gulped and sat down in the only seat possible which was in between Jacob and Carrine so I silently sat down without looking at anyone. "Hello Anna." Jake said. His voice full of sadness

"Hi." I whispered, not looking at him or anyone but the fire in front of me but I could feel their eyes boring a hole into my skull.

"Anna I'd like to introduce you to the girls, you haven't met them yet." Uncle Billy said. "Over there next to Sam is his fiancée Emily, then next to Paul is Bella his girlfriend, and next to Jared is his girlfriend Kim and next to her is Leah Clearwater, Seth's older sister."

I nodded my head as a greeting to them and they just glared at me, they must have heard about me canceling Jake's date. I guess I deserved it.

"Here. Eat." Carrine said as she held out a hotdog to me.

I nodded and took it from her, I wasn't hungry but out common courtesy I took it anyways and nibbled on it to make it look like I was eating it. A moment later Billy began telling the Quileute legends about men turning to wolves and becoming spirit warriors that protect the reservation. Then he told the legend of the third wife's sacrifice to save her people and the cold ones or vampires, is what they are called now. After that he told the legend about imprinting between the spirit warriors and their soul mates. I found it wonderful to have a way to know who you're meant to be with because that way you won't make the mistake of falling in love with the wrong person and to have a love so beautiful and everlasting was very rare. But it's already too late for me, I don't have enough time on this earth for that.

"Anna?" Jake said from beside me.

My head shot up and I noticed that Uncle Billy was done telling the legends and everyone's eyes were on me. "What?" I stammered. Why were they looking at me for?

I turned and saw Jake looking at me nervously as he took my hand in his. "What I'm about to tell you will be shocking but please don't tell anyone about it, no one must know." He said.

I looked at him confusedly and pulled my hand away. "Okay...?"

"Anna would you believe me if I told you that the legends are real?" He asked.

"No, because they're not real." I replied.

"But what if I told you they are real? That spirit warriors and men turning into wolves were real?" He asked.

"What-t?!" I asked, standing up abruptly.

"The guys here; Sam, Jared, Embry, Paul, Seth, Quil, and I, including Leah turn into wolves. We are shape shifters and we protect the reservation from bloodsuckers. And I am their alpha, Sam is my Beta." He said as he stood up to face me, his face held no humor at all.

"Is this a joke? Are you playing a prank on me to get back at me for not dating you?" I asked incredulously and looked around at everyone, they weren't laughing. Then I turned to Carrine who also looked dead serious. "Carrine? Are you in on it too?"

"Sis Jake's telling the truth. They can turn into wolves. I've seen them Anna and I've seen Seth phase into one." She said.

I turned back to Jake and crossed my arms. "Fine. Prove it. Phase into one."

He smiled. "Be right back." He said and ran into the woods. A moment later a russet colored wolf came out from the same direction that Jake went in.

I gasped and slowly walked up to him. "J-Jake?" I whispered at the wolf. It nodded its head and ran back into the woods and out came Jake in human form.

"Do you believe me now?" He asked as he stopped in front of me.

"Yeah." I nodded my head but I was still confused.

"Anna the legend about imprinting is also real. Sam imprinted on Emily, Paul on Bella, Jared on Kim, and Seth on Carrine. Imprinting happens when we look at someone and instantly at that very moment our world will shift and the only thing that matters is that one person and it's the way our wolfs find it's mate." He explained.

"Now I know why Seth and Carrine have fallen in love so fast." I whispered. My head was whirling; I was still surprised that supernatural things are real. "But why are you telling me all this if no one's suppose to know about that the legends are real?

"Because we are only allowed to tell our imprints about it." He said.

"But I'm not an impr-Oh My God!" The realization struck me like a brick wall and caused me to stumble back a few steps.

Jake grabbed my hands and steadied me. "Are you alright?"

"I-I can't do this. I-I have to go." I said as I tried to pull away but he held on tight to my hands.

"No! I won't let you run away again." He said. "Why can't you accept the imprint? You're my soul mate! Can't you feel the imprint bond? Couldn't you feel what we had? The kisses? The hugs? The touches?"

"No, I don't feel it Jake and that's why I can't accept it. The time we had together didn't make me feel anything except disgust!" I shouted at him. This was the perfect time to make a clean cut and distance myself from everyone. "Maybe you made a mistake Jake."

"I don't believe you Anna! I know that you can feel it because if you didn't then we wouldn't have had a relationship like we did. What I don't know right now is why you keep denying it?" He said, his voice full of hurt.

"No, what you don't know is the fact that there's nothing between us! No love! No connection! And no bond! I'm not your soul mate Jake! Why can't you understand that I don't feel anything for you?" I said, my voice strained.

"I know what I feel and I know for sure that I love you!" He shouted and pulled me in to crash his lips onto mine.

For a second, only a second did I let it last for before I pushed myself out of his arms and slapped him as hard as I could. His head didn't even move to the side nor did his face show any signs of the contact with my hand, but me on the other hand felt a searing pain in my palm and had to crunch over in pain.

"Shit! Anna are you alright?" Jake asked as he took a hold of my hand.

I pulled away from him. "I don't need any help from you! I hate you Jacob Black and I never want see you again!" I screamed at him and ran.

As I ran I could hear the protests and murderous voices of other bonfire guests. I didn't look back though and got into my car; I pushed on the gas pedal and drove away. When I got home I ran to my room and slammed the door shut as I leaned against it and slid down until I was in a sitting position and pulled my knees to chest, I sat there in complete darkness to think about the events that had happened earlier. A second later my tears fell, smearing my makeup and screams had erupted from my lips. The painful feeling in my heart came back, it squeezed it so hard that I couldn't breathe but the thought of Jake's face when I yelled at him was even more painful. He looked so sad and heartbroken. But hopefully he'll meet someone new and imprint on her after I die and she'll love him more than I ever will.

I knew hurting the people around me was to protect them but I didn't think that it would hurt so much, the look on their faces and the words that I didn't even know could come out of my mouth, tore away at my heart. And they probably hated me so much right now that their wishing that I would die, even I would wish that on myself and yet here I am dying a slow and painful death. Wish granted. I felt so disgusted with myself for doing the things that I did but what choice did I have and it was better this way.

Suddenly the hotdog from earlier came up my throat and had me running for the toilet, I hovered over the bowl and heaved the bits of hotdogs out. It was a while before my stomach settled and I was able to sit back against the bathtub, it had taken a lot of my energy. My body had started to feel tired again so I removed my jacket and shoes, then I leaned my head to the left to rest it against the wall and my eyes fluttered close. A second later the sound of the front door slammed shut, causing my eyes to jerk open.

"ANNALISE!" Carrine shouted up the stairs. Her tone was very angry and she had never called me by my full name before so she was definitely mad.

I quickly got up and re-did my make up to hide my pale and unhealthy looking skin. When I was done I sprinted out the bathroom and sat down at my vanity like nothing happened. A second later Carrine barged through my door, the reflection of my mirror her showed her furious expression and tightly fisted hands. "Is the bonfire over?" I asked her monotonously, my back still turned to her.

"What happened to you? How could you be so heartless?" She shouted at me.

"What are you talking about? Nothing has happened to me." I said calmly as possible.

"You use to be so nice and loving Anna and now you're so cold and mean. What happened to make you like that?" She whispered, tears brimming her eyes.

"Is this about the Jacob thing? I tried to let him down gently but he was too persistent so I had to do it the hard way. It's not my fault if he doesn't want to give up." I said, my hands fisting together tightly to keep myself calm.

"No, it's about everything." She said. "You use to hug me and tell me that you love me but now, you're being so distant and bitter to me and everyone. And you're not home anymore! Where is that warm and beautiful smile you always give and where have the hugs gone? You were so nice to everyone but what happened to make that change? And why are you pushing everyone away? You were so happy with Jake! Why did you have to break his heart like that?! How could you do that? "

"Nothing happened to me Carrine. I've just been busy so I'm not home a lot. Carrine you're too young to understand grown up things and what happens between me and Jake is none of your business so don't interfere." I bit out as I looked down at my tightened fists.

"That's shit and you know it! This has nothing to do with grown up things! It has to do with the fact that you're being a cold, heartless, bitch!" She spat.

I whipped my body around and mustered up all the anger in me and looked at her. "Don't you take that tone with me Carrine Morett and don't you ever swear under my roof again!"

"This is not your roof it's Dad's!" She shouted.

"But I am the oldest in this house so you have to follow my orders! And for disrespecting me I order you to go to your room and stay there for the next week! I forbid you from talking to anyone or calling anyone and that includes Seth!" I shouted back just as angrily. It hurt me to say those words and I can only hope that she will forgive me someday for saying them.

"Bullshit! You can't keep me from them!" She screamed at me, her face going red.

A second later my palm came in contact with her soft cheek. "Stop being a baby and go to your room or get out of my house!" I shouted at her._ I'm so sorry Carrine...so very sorry..._

"Y-You hit me? You've never hit me before..." She whispered, her voice filled with hurt as tears rolled down her cheeks and her hand came up to caress the stinging cheek.

I crossed my arms turned my back to her. "Stay or leave." I said deathly calm, but there were fat tears escaping from my eyes.

"I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!" Her voice went higher with each phrase until she was screaming. "I hate you so much! You're just like Dad! I wish you weren't my sister! I wish you never existed!"

After that she ran out my room and I could hear her footsteps thrumming down the steps until it was ceased by the loud slam of the front door. And again I fell to the floor in a heap of sobs. Her words were like knifes plunging into my heart, one after another. It hurt more than anything I've ever felt but it didn't hurt as much as when I slapped her, I never wanted to but if I didn't do it then she wouldn't hate me as much as she did._ Carrine, please forgive me for the horrible things I've done...you'll never know how much I regretted my decisions and I hope you'll never have to go through what I have experienced. _I cried harder and lay down; I pulled my knees to my chest and hid my head in between them to muffle my cries. Death wasn't coming fast enough for me.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter 7**

**Anna's POV**

A while later there was loud banging at the front doors but I didn't bother to stand up and answer it, I just wanted to be alone to wallow in my own misery. The loud banging didn't seem to cease though and with each bang the house vibrated a little. I sighed and went to the bathroom to re-apply my makeup; it was like a ritual to me now before I go anywhere to do anything. When I was done I made my way down the stairs and opened the door.

I was shocked to say the least, to see Jake standing before me with a bottle of liquor in his hand and a distinct smell of alcohol radiating from him, it was overpowering so I guessed that he had drank a lot of it. I also guessed that he was very drunk because he was leaning against the door frame and his body was bobbing back and forth. He looked at me for a second through his half-lidded eyes before he took a step forward and fell onto me.

"I love you Anna." He slurred when his arms wrapped around me and pulled my head to his chest.

"Jake you're drunk." I stated as I used all my strength to lead him over to my couch and kick the door closed on the way.

When we reached the couch I let go of him so that he would fall onto the couch and he did but he pulled me with him, so he fell back on the couch and I fell on top of him. His head was buried in the side of my neck and my face was right next to his ear. I lifted my head to look at him and saw that he was already asleep, his lips were parted and his tanned cheeks was tinted red. Overall he looked handsome, but he wasn't mine. So I lifted myself out of his arms but was pulled back to his chest when his arms tightened around me.

"Don't leave me..." He whispered in his sleep.

I choked back a sob as a tear escaped from my eye and splattered on his face. I felt so horrible for causing him to drink to numb his pain and I felt even worse for breaking his heart. "I'm so sorry Jake." I whispered, knowing that he can't hear me. I tried to pull away from him again but he trapped me in his iron grip. I sighed and laid my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes. It wouldn't hurt to lay here a bit until he lets me go and in a way I kind of want to lay here like this, so that I can feel his warmth, even if it's just for a second.

When I opened my eyes again I noticed that I was still dark outside and Jake was still asleep, his arms had unwound from my waist and now rested at his side. Tiredly I climbed off of him and as quick as possible, ran up to my room and to my vanity. I pulled out my journal and ripped out a clean page along with the pen before throwing it back in the drawer. Then I wrote a letter to Carrine to tell her that I couldn't stay here anymore, it wasn't a nice letter but an angry one. I wanted to let her know that I didn't want to stay here because being here made me miserable and something of the sort. Then I wrote my goodbyes but most importantly I told her to stay here in La Push and not come back to California because she didn't need to anymore, that I was going to handle that situation so that she could stay here.

For the past two weeks I had planned to take Carrine's place at the wedding and I had put my plans into action, that's why I begged my father to let us come to La Push because it was part of my plan. And now all I had to do was talk to my father and everything will be a done deal. At first I thought of committing suicide after I was married but now I didn't have to because I was already dying. And if everything works out then Carrine will live a happy life here, my father will get what he wished from the beginning, and no one has to know that this was even a plan to begin with. From the beginning I never planned to tell Carrine about this and I still do, I will bring it to the grave with me. I will stop at nothing for Carrine's happiness.

After I was done with the letter I folded it neatly and placed it on my vanity table. Then I packed a small bag of my necessities and a the blanket from my bed. When I was done I quietly tiptoed back down the stairs and draped the blanket in my arms, over Jake's body. It was only big enough to cover from his shoulders to his shins so his feet were dangling out from the bottom of the blanket. Then I kneeled down next to his face and brushed my fingertips down the side of his cheek, a tear slipping down my cheek in the process.

_I'm so sorry Jake. If could change what happened then I would, but I can't. It's for the best. Please forget me._ I thought before standing up. I went to the door and silently opened it before closing it gently behind me and walking out to the curb to take out my phone to call for a cab. It took fifteen minutes for the car to pull up in front of me, the driver was a man in his forties at the very least.

"Where do you want to go?" He yawned as he did a u-turn on the road.

"The airport." I said and leaned back on the seat, my heart pounding.

"Right away." He said and sped down the street and away from the small town of La Push.

A bit later my heart calmed and I noticed the song that was coming from the radio. It was 'Starts with Goodbye' by Carrie Underwood.

_...it's gonna have to hurt,_

_I guess I'm gonna have to cry,_

_And let go of some things I've loved,_

_To get to the other side,_

_I guess it's gonna break me down,_

_Like falling when you try to fly,_

_It's sad, but sometimes moving on with the rest of your life,_

_Starts with goodbye._

_I know there's a blue horizon,_

_Somewhere up ahead, just waiting for me,_

_Getting there means leaving things behind,_

_Sometimes life's so bitter sweet._

_[Chorus:]_

_I guess it's gonna have to hurt,_

_I guess I'm gonna have to cry,_

_And let go of some things I've loved,_

_To get to the other side,_

_I guess it's gonna break me down,_

_Like falling when you try to fly,_

_It's sad, but sometimes moving on with the rest of your life,_

_Starts with goodbye._

The tears spilled from my eyes as I thought of the last few days and looked at the houses I knew so well passing by outside the window of the cab. The lyrics had cut deep into my heart, it felt so true because I was letting go of some of the things I've loved and it's breaking me down, causing me to feel aches of unbearable pain in my heart. I was never going to forgive myself for what I did and I'll use the rest of my next life begging for forgiveness from the people I hurt in this lifetime.

_Time, time heals,_

_The wounds that you feel,_

_Somehow, right now._

_[Chorus:]_

_I guess it's gonna have to hurt,_

_I guess I'm gonna have to cry,_

_And let go of some things I've loved,_

_To get to the other side,_

_I guess it's gonna break me down,_

_Like falling when you try to fly,_

_It's sad, but sometimes moving on with the rest of your life,_

_Starts with goodbye,_

_I guess I'm gonna have to cry,_

_And let go of some things I've loved,_

_To get to the other side,_

_Starts with goodbye,_

_The only way you try to find,_

_Moving on with the rest of your life,_

_Starts with goodbye,_

_Na na na na na na na._

It was about half an hour later before the car stopped at the entrance of the airport. "That will be thirty dollars please." He said as he read the meter.

"Here." I said as I gave him the money and my phone. "It's a new phone, take it as a tip. I don't need it anymore."

"Thanks!" He smiled as he took them.

I grabbed my bag then left the car and went into the airport. "Hello, I'd like a one way ticket to Los Angeles, California please." I said at the receptionist's desk.

"Of course. What time would you like?" The girl behind the desk asked.

"The earliest time." I said.

She processed my order and five minutes later I had my boarding pass in hand and ready to go. After that I went to my gate and boarded my flight, it was a short plane ride, about only four hours at most. When the plane landed in Los Angeles I got my bag and exited the airport. The blazing heat of the sun burned at my skin and washed away the cold air of the airport. Quickly I climbed in the nearest cab and departed for father's company, he's always there, he practically lives there.

When the car came to a stop I paid the driver and left, and then went straight into the multi-story building and to the receptionist's desk. "Hello, what can I do for you today?" The man in a black suite asked.

"I'd like to see Mr. Morrett please." I said.

"Do you have an appointment with him?" He asked.

"I'm his daughter Annalise Morrett. I don't think I need an appointment to meet my own father." I said as I crossed my arms.

"Do you have any proof of that?" He asked, in a snobbish tone.

I sighed and went to the waiting area and grabbed a random magazine, then flipped it to a page where there was a picture of father and I, he only buys the magazines that has his picture in them and sometimes I'm in the picture with him. I went back to the receptionist and placed the magazine in front of him.

"Is that enough proof for you?" I asked, feeling very cranky from my jetlag.

He began panicking. "I'm very sorry Ms. Morrett."

"It's alright. Just let me see my father." I said.

"Right away." He said then started clicking away at his computer. "He's on the twenty-second floor, please take the elevator over there and it will take you right to him."

"Thank you." I sighed and walked away.

I took the elevator up to the twenty-second floor and went to search for my father in his office, he was sitting behind his desk with a Bluetooth phone stuck to his ear and a stack of papers in his hands. He didn't even notice that I was here until I stood in front of him and cleared my throat. When he did see me though, he waved a finger at me as a way to tell me to wait for him to be done. I nodded my head and sat down at the seat in front of his desk. I didn't know how long I sat there for but I was getting agitated, and finally I pulled a file folder out of my bag and threw it in front of him.

He finally looked up from his papers and opened the file to read the papers that were inside of it. A moment later his mouth dropped open, and his expression showed shock and a hint of sadness. "What is the meaning of this?" He asked me as he pulled his Bluetooth from his ear.

"They are exactly what they say. Carrine is dead father." I said as I let fake sadness ooze into my voice. It was a fake death certificate that father was looking at; I made it myself by copying the outline of the certificate from the internet and replacing the deceased's name with Carrine's. I did this because it was the only way set Carrine free from her arranged marriage.

"H-How!? How did you let this happen?" He said as he fell back against the chair in defeat.

"She was walking along the beach and suddenly there was a drunk driver...and...and they couldn't save her." I whispered, my eyes glued to my knees.

"Then where's her body?" He asked. "Did you bring her back with you?"

"No, I buried her next to Mom. She would've wanted it that way." I replied.

"Then why didn't you call me?" He asked.

"Would it have mattered if I called you? You wouldn't have come to her funeral; you didn't even go to Mom's." I shot back at him.

"I'm sorry Annalise, I'm a horrible father I know. But the company isn't in good shape right now and now it's going to become even worst." He said frustrated as he ran a hand through his hair.

"What happened to the company?" I asked him.

"A month ago the stock market wasn't doing very good and I lost all our money. We were going to lose our home and everything, but then another leading company offered to merge with ours and I couldn't deny it. I wanted you and Carrine to live a life of luxury so that both of you won't have to worry about money issues in the future." He explained.

"That's a horrible excuse father. You didn't want to merge the company because of us! It was all for you! Because you couldn't live without your money and your company!" I yelled at him. How dare he use Carrine and me as an excuse. "Carrine and I wouldn't have minded if we were broke, we would have welcomed it because then you wouldn't be married to your _precious_ company anymore."

"Anna please don't be like this. Your sister is gone and now we are broke honey. We should be thinking of a way to make our company prosper, not argue." He pleaded.

"What do you want me to do father? There's nothing we can do to help the company now without merging." I stated.

He sat there for a while with his eyes closed and deep in thought. Then suddenly his eyes shot open and a smile spread across his face as he looked at me. "Honey, what do you think about Jeff Leeway, the multi-billionaire corporate owner's son? I-I know he's three years younger than you but it's not unheard of, there are many women that marry men younger than them."

"Are you crazy!? He's a child! Marrying him would make me a cougar!" I exasperated. Check and mate. My plans are more than halfway completed.

"Please Anna! You're my only hope now." He begged me as he rounded his table and took a hold of my hand. "Think of the company. Think of your Mother, she would want you to help me."

"You're despicable! Using Mom against me like that!" I shouted at him. "No, I won't do it!"

"Then do it for me, please! This is the last thing I'll ever ask of you! And-and I'll do anything you want that is within reason." He pleaded desperately.

I sighed, how could he be so cruel? "Fine. I'll marry him. As for what I want you to do, I'll have to think about it. But I do have one request."

"What's your request?" He asked.

"I want to have the wedding earlier so that I can get this mess over with." I said. I don't think I'll be able to live long enough to see Carrine's birthday.

"Of course! Oh thank you Anna. You won't regret this!" He said cheerily and picked up his phone.

I already did. Father was on the phone for a while, talking away with Jeff Leeway's father and after a while he said good bye and smiled at me. "So?" I asked him.

"They agreed and gave their condolences. They also said that since they don't have to wait until Carrine turned sixteen anymore, they want to have the wedding earlier." He stated.

"Well, then when do they want the wedding to be?" I asked.

"The day after tomorrow." He smiled.

My eyes widened. "That early?"

"Yeah. They said that it was their only free day beside's on Carrine's birthday." He said. "So tomorrow we're going to meet the Leeway family and then register the both of you to get married. Then we will sign the contract to combine our companies and everything will be settled. Then on the next day you will be Mrs. Annalise Leeway. How does that sound?"

"That's fine. But what about the wedding? How will we be able to plan a whole wedding in two days?" I asked.

"Don't worry about that Annalise. You don't even have to worry about the gown, I'll have it taken care of. Just let me handle everything." He smiled as he patted my head and then went back to his seat. "Why don't you go back to the house and rest. You have a big day tomorrow."

I nodded and said my goodbyes before leaving. I took a cab back to my empty mansion, the one place I knew that wasn't my home. It never was because there was never any love in it.


End file.
